Door handle and latching device



K. J. ToBlN 2,091,384

DOOR HANDLE AND LATCHING DEVICE Original Filed Dec. 17, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 'Aug. 31, 1937.

Aug. 31, 1937. K. J. ToBlN DOOR HANDLE AND LATCHING DEVICE Original Filed Dec. 17, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIIL llllll 'JA/VEN Toe- KENNETH vJ 75m/v 52@ am /A/Lb Patented Aug. 31, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DOOR HANDLE AND LATCHING DEVICE Kenneth J. Tobin, Chicago, Ill., assignor, by mesne assignments, to The Youngstown Steel Door Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation o! Ohio 6 Claims.

'I'his invention relates to sliding doors and is directed primarily to a mechanism for latching the doors in predetermined positions thereof.

It is an object of this invention to provide latching mechanism capable of automatically fastening sliding car doors in closed position and adapted to receive a. seal so as to eliminate the usual door hasp fasteners.

A further object is to provide swinging gravity actuated latching devices capable of automatically fastening sliding car doors in predetermined positions and of serving as handles for moving said doors.

A further object is to provide swinging gravity actuated latching devices for sliding doors capable of absorbing shocks which would normally be imparted to the front and rear edges of said doors.

A further object is to provide a swinging latcho ing device comprising a unitary latch member which is effective for operation either from the ground or from a loading platform.

A further object is to provide a latching device for sliding doors, including keepers associated 25 with a threshold member so as to be protected against impact.

A further object is to provide latching devices for sliding doors, the parts of which are so related as to prevent vertical movement' of said 30 dOOlS.

Other objects will become clear as the description of the invention proceeds.

In the drawings forming part of this specication:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary elevation of a railway house car including a sliding door upon which an embodiment of the invention is illustrated;

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken on line 40 2-2 of Figure 3;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary elevation of a portion of the car and door illustrating the latching device on an enlarged scale;

Figure 4 is a vertical section similar to Figure 45 2 showing the invention applied to a lift door;

and

Figure 5 is a horizontal section taken on line 5-5 of Figure 3.

The handle and latching device illustrated in 50 Figures 1, 2 and 5 of the drawings is shown applied to a sliding door I0 mounted for longitudinal movement upon a railway house car II. The door illustrated is of metallic construction and embodies a metallic panel I 2 provided with spaced 55 horizontal corrugations I3, merging at their ends with vertical corrugations I4 and I5 formed in the metallic panel I2 adjacent the vertical edges thereof. The front edge of the door carries a sealing strip I6 adapted to coact with the front stop I'I in order to exclude the entry of weather around the front edge of the door.

The car Il embodies a side sill I8 which is cut away in the door opening as indicated at I9. The side sill I8 embodies a Z-bar 20, the lower flange 2l of which constitutes a track for supporting the door in its longitudinal movement upon the car. The flange 2| is bent downwardly so as to provide a guide member 22. A pair of opposed plate members 23 and 24 are secured to the lower margin of the door. The plate member 23 is provided with a lower outwardly bent portion 25 whereby a shoulder 26 is formed that constitutes a contacting flange for bearing balls. The plate 24 is provided with an inwardly curved portion 2l, the outer edge 28 of which forms a contact for the bearing balls. Ball bearing elements 29 are utilized to support the door for antifrictional movement upon the track ange 2|, these bearing elements contacting the shoulder 26, the edge 28 and the track flange 2|, thereby providing a three-point support for the door eliminating slippage of the balls during their traveling movement upon the track iiange. The ball bearing elements are maintained in spaced relation by a freely floating ball spacer 30 of angular formation and having a flange 3l riding upon the curved portion of the plate 24. This ball spacer is provided with suitably formed spurs 32 for receiving the ball bearing elements. The lower edge of the door is provided with suitable guide brackets 33 which receive the guide flange 22 of the track as shown in Figure 2 of the drawings. Each guide bracket 33 is secured by rivets 34 which may be readily removed when it is desired to dlsmount the door.

It will be readily apparent that the door, by virtue of its support upon the track for movement relative to the car, is movable with great ease so that the handle and latching mechanism of the instant invention is provided in order to prevent slamming of the door and consequent destruction thereof. The latching mechanism disclosed is automatic in its action and embodies a latch lever 35 pivoted upon a bracket 36 as indicated at 3l. The bracket is secured to the door by means of rivets 38. The lower end of the latch lever 35 has an inwardly directed arm 39 which is adapted to engage a recess 40 provided in each of the keepers 4I and 42 which preferably are disposed so as to engage the latch lever in the open and closed positions of the door. Each of the keepers 4 I and 42 is provided with inclined walls 43 which extend outwardly from the side sill I8, to which said keepers are secured, to the recess provided in said keepers so that the lever, in its movement with the door, may ride outwardly upon the sloping or cam portions 43 and drop by gravity into the recesses 40 to securely latch the door against movement until the latch lever is withdrawn from such recess. It is to be observed that the keeper 4I disposed below the door opening lies in proximate relation to a threshold plate 44, the outwardly extending flange 45 of which serves to protect the keeper from impact. The upper portion of the latch lever 35 is tapered as indicated at 46 to permit the swinging movement heretofore described of the latch lever. Attention is invited to the fact that the inwardly extending arm 39 formed on the lower portion of the latch lever extends through a recess 41 formed in the metallic panel and that by virtue of this construction the latch lever is capable of operation, both from the ground and from a loading platform.

The latch lever 35 is preferably fastened against unauthorized disengagement from the 'keeper 4l when the door is in its closed position. To this end a latch lever 48 pivoted to the door as indicated at 49 is utilized. The latch lever 48 at its free end is formed with a socket 50 adapted to receive the upper end of the latch lever 35. The inner wall.of the socket 50 is inclined similarly to the inclined portion 46 of the latch lever as indicated at 5I. Alined openings 52 and 53 are formed respectively in the upper end of the latch lever and in the side walls of the sockets. These openings are adapted to receive a seal (not shown) thereby preventing unauthorized operation of the latch lever 35.

In order to move the door from its closed position, illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings, to its open position, the seal mentioned above is removed and the latch lever 48 swung about its pivot 49 so as to release the latch lever 35. This lever 35 is then grasped and swung outwardly to effect disengagement between the inwardly extending arm 39 thereof and the recess provided in the keeper 4I. Using the latch lever 35 as a handle the door I0 may be moved to its open 50 position, the limit of which is determined by the back stops 54 and 55. As the door reaches its open position the inwardly extending arm 39 of the latch lever 35 will come into engagement with the recess provided in the keeper 42, this engage- 55 ment being aided by one of the sloping sides provided on the keeper adjacent to the recess. The latch lever 35 may constitute the only handle necessary in order to move the door but if the operator desires to utilize both hands for this purpose an auxiliary xed handle 56 may be utilized. Similarly, in the return of the door to its closed position after disengaging the latch lever 35 from the keeper 42 automatic reengagement between the arm 39 and the keeper 4| will be had as a result of the sloping side 43 provided on said keeper when the door reaches its closed position.

In the closed position of the door the latch lever 35 in its cooperative relationship with the keeper 4I is eiective to prevent elevation of the door under impact to the car by virtue of the engagement between the arm 39 of the latch lever and the flange 51 extending across the top of the recess 40. Similarly, in the cooperating position between the arm 39 and the keeper 4I the flange 56 extending across the lower portionl of the recess 40 is effective to prevenidownward tiiting of the door in its plane which might otherwise be caused by the appreciable overhang of the door beyond the adjacent supporting ball element.

In Figure 4 of the drawings the invention is illustrated in its application to a lift door, the lift mechanism of which is indicated generally at 59. No detailed description of this lift mechanism need here be included inasmuch as it embodies the invention disclosed in the application of Gabriel Madland, Serial No. 590,021. Because of the type of lift mechanism utilized the latch lever 6U is preferably pivotally mounted, as indicated at 6I, centrally of the door upon a bracket 62 secured to the car as indicated at 63. The latch lever 60 is provided with an inwardly extending arm 64 adapted to be received within the recess 65 provided in the keeper 66. The keeper 66 is of the same general construction as the keepers 4| and 42, it being understood that a similar keeper is utilized to engage the latch in the open position of the door. I'he keeper 66 is disposed below the threshold plate 61 which lies in protective relationship to the keeper. The keeper 66 lies above the track 68 adapted to support the door in frictional engagement in its lowered position and for movement upon antifriction means after the door has been elevated.

The track 68 is secured to the side sill 69 oi' the car by means of a plurality of brackets 10, one of which is illustrated in Figure 4 of the drawings. As in the previously described application of the invention the inwardly extending arm 64 extends through an opening 1I formed in the lower edge of the door, this opening preferably being closed by means of a shoulder 'I2 formedon the arm 64. The latch lever 60 m'ay be maintained against unauthorized operation by means of a latching lever 13 within the pocket 'I4 of which the upper end of the latch lever is received. A seal (not shown) may fasten the upper end of the latch lever 60 and the latch lever 13 together by extension through the opening 15 formed in the latch lever 60 and corresponding openings provided in the latch lever 13.

In the movement of the lift door from its closed position illustrated in Figure 4 of the drawings the seal is removed and the upper end of the latch lever 60 released from engagement with the latch lever 13 by swinging the latter about its pivotal connection 16 with the door. The latch lever 60 may then be grasped and swung outward about its pivot 6I, whereby the inwardly extending arm 6 4 is disengaged from the keeper 66. By means of an operating lever forming part of the lift mechanism the door is then elevated so as to be disposed upon antifriction means embodied in the lift mechanism and by utilizing the latch lever 60 as a handle the door may be moved to its open position. The engagement between the latch lever and the keepers in the open and closed positions of the door is automatic as hereinbefore described. In view of the fact that in lift mechanisms of the type utilized upon the door no means is utilized to prevent actuation of the operating lever in order to elevate the door, even when the door is hasped in its closed position, the latching lever 60, by means of its engagement with the iiange 11 extending across the upper part of the recess formed in the keeper 66, will prevent such unauthorized elevation.

It will be observed as well that the latch levers 48 and 13, respectively, utilized to prevent unauthorized operation of the respective latch levers 35 and 60 also serve as means enabling the latch levers 35 and 6G to function as means for fastening the door in its closed positiomthereby avoiding the use of the customary hasp fastening devices utilized upon car doors.

This application is a division of applicants copending application, Serial 581,544, flied December 17, 1931.

It will be apparent that numerous changes and modifications in the details of the invention will be clear to those skilled in the art. It is intended, therefore, that all such modifications and changes be comprehended within this invention, which is to be limited only by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

l. A handle for a sliding car door for moving said door between open and closed positions, said handle being disposed vertically and being of substantial height to permit grasping thereof by theA hand of an operator, said handle being pivoted above its center of gravity to said door for swinging movement in avertical plane transverse thereto. the lower end of said handle being adapted for engagement with a keeper to prevent sliding movement of the keeper engaging end of said handle being spaced from said car during sliding movement of said door.

2. A vertically disposed handle for a sliding car door for moving said door between open and closed positions, said handle being pivoted intermediate its ends to said door and swingable in a vertical plane transversely with respect thereto,

the lower end of said handle being adapted to engage a keeper provided on said car and means for preventing swinging movement of said handle and release of the l'ower vend thereof from its keeper, said means comprising a member carried 40 by said door and engageable with the upper end of said handle to prevent swinging movement thereof, said means and said handle having alined seal receiving apertures.

3. A handle for a sliding car door for moving said door between open and closed positions, said handle being disposed vertically and being of substantial height to permit grasping thereof by the hand of an operator, said handle being pivoted above its center of gravity to said door for swinging movement in a vertical plane transverse thereto, the5 lower end of said handle being directed towrd said door to provide an arm adapted to engage keeper secured to said car for receiving said arm of said handle to prevent sliding movement of said door, said arm being spaced from said car during sliding movement of said door.

4. A handle for moving a sliding door of a railway house car across a door opening in said car, said handle being secured to said door and comprising an elongated vertically disposed member pivotedintermediate its ends to said door for swinging movement in a vertical plane transverse to said door and providing a hand grip intermediate its ends, the lower end of said handle being directed toward said door to provide an arm adapted to engage a keeper secured to said car below the door opening and disposed between said car and the lower portion of said door, said arm extending through the lower portion of said door in the normal position of said handle and being automatically engageable with said keeper to prevent sliding movement of said door, said arm and the lower portion of said handle being swingable outwardly to disengage said arm from sai`d keeper, whereby said handle may be gripped to slide said door, said arm being spaced from said car during sliding movement of said door.

5. In a fastening device for a sliding door of a railway house car wherein approximately onehalf of said door overhangs the door supporting means, said device comprising an elongated vertically disposed member pivoted intermediate its ends adjacent to a vertical margin of said door for swinging movement in a vertical plane transverse thereto, a keeper secured to said car engageable with the lower end of said member to prevent sliding movement of said door, means lying below the lower end of said member in the engaged position thereof, said means being engageable by the lower end of said handle to prevent downward tilting of the overhanging portion of said door in the plane thereof.

6. In a fastening device for a sliding door of a railway house car wherein approximately onehalf of said door overhangs the door supporting means, said device comprising an elongated vertically disposed member pivoted intermediate its ends adjacent to a vertical margin of said door for swinging movement in a vertical plane transverse thereto, a keeper secured to said car engageable with the lower end of said member to prevent sliding movement of said door, means lying above and below the lower end of said member in the engaged position thereof, said means being engageable by the lower end of said handle to prevent upward and downward tilting. respectively, of the overhanging portion of said door in the plane thereof.

KENNETH J. TOBIN. 

